lolaeva
Nov 11, 2010
Undergraduate / UCF,"family culture" and "unique characteristics." [2]
Essay 1:
prompt: How has your family history, culture or environment influenced who you are?
It is not everyday that you find yourself jumping from eighth period English to a flight from Miami to Paris. Nor is it the common occurrence to be sitting in U.S history learning about the French Resistance in World War 2, then listening to first hand accounts from your grandfather who was a part of it. It is because of this fact that I realize how fortunate I have been to grow up in two different cultures, countries, and families, all thanks to my dual citizenship.
As the only family member to be born outside of France, my life has been influenced tremendously by my dual citizenship in all areas imaginable. For instance, living between France and the United States my whole life has given me a perspective on the world that I would have never been able to experience otherwise. In France, I am welcomed with open arms into the rich history that can only be obtained in the ancient grounds of Europe. In the United States, I feel the relentless drive to be apart of the modern world and it's influence on the future. I like to think that I reside in a perfect balance between old and new, where I can draw from the best of both cultures to help me have well-rounded views and an open mind to all new possibilities and situations.
The combination of such influential cultures, particularly my French heritage, has allowed me to cultivate a passion for political science, history, and art, while also instilling in me a motivation to succeed in all my endeavors. Both the U.S and France are the homes of revolutionary thinkers and dreamers, who shaped the modern world we live in today; these are the people who I aspire to embody in my future. Whether it's spending summers in Nimes, France, with my cousin, or going to school in the sunshine state, I am always looking for new ways to put my multi-cultural views to good use. By building on my family's strengths and values that they grew up with in France, and incorporating my own from my experiences of being raised in the United States, I've been able to grow in creativity, confidence, morals and maturity.
Essay 2:
prompt:. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community?
I remember the first time I realized the world around me wasn't quite perfect. Coming from divorced parents who, for the most part, lived across the world from one another at any given time, I was not a stranger to hardship. I felt the pain of leaving my father or my mother to go see the other parent, and I knew what it felt like to be the "new kid" every time I moved. I had often resented my situation as child, because I was not always happy. At nine years old, when my mother decided to move to Costa Rica, that perspective changed.
My mother and I moved to the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, and my entire view of the world around me changed in a heartbeat. While Costa Rica has beautiful tourist resorts, I saw what most people didn't see, that the children were walking barefoot along the dirty, pothole-ridden streets. The men and women looked tiered and worn from the long days of working in the humid heat that felt suffocating if you remain in it too long. I had never known this kind of pain, I had never known poverty and, in truth, I had never known how truly fortunate I was to have such an easy life in comparison to what these people went through every day. I did not stay in Costa Rica for very long, but the memories of what I saw stayed with me, permanently etched into my mind. It was a constant reminder that there are people in the world who have nothing, and I knew that I wanted to become part of the solution to that problem in my future.
Since my freshman year, I always knew that the University of Central Florida was the perfect place to accomplish this goal. As a driven and goal oriented person, I know that by incorporating my European background and what I have learned through traveling, I could bring a more global perspective to organizations such as "Volunteer UCF."
UCF is truly the ideal platform to put my ideas into action. I have always dreamed of creating a foundation called "Recital for Survival" in which students from all areas of the UCF community can come together and sing, dance, act and volunteer in a huge production, where the proceeds will go to a charity to help people in countries who have nothing. It is dreams like this that I would wish to make a reality through the abundant resources and student spirit that UCF possess. I can hope to bring a well-rounded individual, who is passionate and driven about being the best I can possibly be, and more than anything, bringing that determination to the UCF family and community. And, I would strive to bring a dynamic view of the world, and add it to the diversity that UCF already has.
Essay 1:
prompt: How has your family history, culture or environment influenced who you are?
It is not everyday that you find yourself jumping from eighth period English to a flight from Miami to Paris. Nor is it the common occurrence to be sitting in U.S history learning about the French Resistance in World War 2, then listening to first hand accounts from your grandfather who was a part of it. It is because of this fact that I realize how fortunate I have been to grow up in two different cultures, countries, and families, all thanks to my dual citizenship.
As the only family member to be born outside of France, my life has been influenced tremendously by my dual citizenship in all areas imaginable. For instance, living between France and the United States my whole life has given me a perspective on the world that I would have never been able to experience otherwise. In France, I am welcomed with open arms into the rich history that can only be obtained in the ancient grounds of Europe. In the United States, I feel the relentless drive to be apart of the modern world and it's influence on the future. I like to think that I reside in a perfect balance between old and new, where I can draw from the best of both cultures to help me have well-rounded views and an open mind to all new possibilities and situations.
The combination of such influential cultures, particularly my French heritage, has allowed me to cultivate a passion for political science, history, and art, while also instilling in me a motivation to succeed in all my endeavors. Both the U.S and France are the homes of revolutionary thinkers and dreamers, who shaped the modern world we live in today; these are the people who I aspire to embody in my future. Whether it's spending summers in Nimes, France, with my cousin, or going to school in the sunshine state, I am always looking for new ways to put my multi-cultural views to good use. By building on my family's strengths and values that they grew up with in France, and incorporating my own from my experiences of being raised in the United States, I've been able to grow in creativity, confidence, morals and maturity.
Essay 2:
prompt:. What qualities or unique characteristics do you possess that would allow you to contribute to the UCF community?
I remember the first time I realized the world around me wasn't quite perfect. Coming from divorced parents who, for the most part, lived across the world from one another at any given time, I was not a stranger to hardship. I felt the pain of leaving my father or my mother to go see the other parent, and I knew what it felt like to be the "new kid" every time I moved. I had often resented my situation as child, because I was not always happy. At nine years old, when my mother decided to move to Costa Rica, that perspective changed.
My mother and I moved to the capital of Costa Rica, San Jose, and my entire view of the world around me changed in a heartbeat. While Costa Rica has beautiful tourist resorts, I saw what most people didn't see, that the children were walking barefoot along the dirty, pothole-ridden streets. The men and women looked tiered and worn from the long days of working in the humid heat that felt suffocating if you remain in it too long. I had never known this kind of pain, I had never known poverty and, in truth, I had never known how truly fortunate I was to have such an easy life in comparison to what these people went through every day. I did not stay in Costa Rica for very long, but the memories of what I saw stayed with me, permanently etched into my mind. It was a constant reminder that there are people in the world who have nothing, and I knew that I wanted to become part of the solution to that problem in my future.
Since my freshman year, I always knew that the University of Central Florida was the perfect place to accomplish this goal. As a driven and goal oriented person, I know that by incorporating my European background and what I have learned through traveling, I could bring a more global perspective to organizations such as "Volunteer UCF."
UCF is truly the ideal platform to put my ideas into action. I have always dreamed of creating a foundation called "Recital for Survival" in which students from all areas of the UCF community can come together and sing, dance, act and volunteer in a huge production, where the proceeds will go to a charity to help people in countries who have nothing. It is dreams like this that I would wish to make a reality through the abundant resources and student spirit that UCF possess. I can hope to bring a well-rounded individual, who is passionate and driven about being the best I can possibly be, and more than anything, bringing that determination to the UCF family and community. And, I would strive to bring a dynamic view of the world, and add it to the diversity that UCF already has.